A group of 16 Venezuelans, including nine minors and seven adults, remain in precarious conditions in the Mexico neighborhood park, in Mérida, in front of the facilities of the National Migration Institute (INM).
For six days, they have been camping in this place waiting for a solution to their immigration situation.
The group began their journey two months ago from Venezuela, seeking to reach the United States in search of the American dream.
After a long bus trip, they arrived in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, where they were intercepted by immigration authorities.
According to testimonies, they promised to transfer them to Mexico City, but finally, they were sent to Mérida.
“Immigration told us that they would take us to Mexico City, but that was not the case. Deceived, we ended up here in Mérida. We want to continue our journey north and ask for asylum in the United States due to the difficult situation in our country,” explained Yuleisy Ramírez, one of the migrants.
Ramírez explained that they are waiting for their formal appointment with the INM, but so far they have not received a response to their request.
The documents delivered by the immigration authorities, which would supposedly allow them to move to a point closer to their destination, seem to be designed for their return to Venezuela, a possibility that they reject.
The group, which was initially made up of 83 people, has been reduced to 16 migrants camping in Mérida, while another 43 have continued to different parts of the country.
However, their main intention is to reach Mexico City to approach the northern border and manage a possible asylum in the United States, arguing that they are fleeing unsustainable conditions in their country of origin.
Ramírez stressed that, after several days in Mérida, his financial resources were running out.
They have survived thanks to the support of other Venezuelans living in the city, who have provided them with food, clothing, medicine, and diapers for their children.
The group does not know when the immigration authorities will respond to their request, fearing that their only outcome will be a return to the precarious conditions that led them to migrate.
TYT Newsroom
The post Stranded Venezuelan immigrants camp down in Mérida first appeared on The Yucatan Times.